The present invention relates to vehicle strut assemblies, in particular to strut mounts including bearings.
Strut mount assemblies are known and are used to connect a vehicle strut with a vehicle frame or body. A typical strut assembly, for example a McPherson strut assembly, includes a strut mount attached to the vehicle frame or body and a shock absorber disposed within a tubular housing connected to a steering knuckle of the wheel hub and having a shaft attached to the strut mount. A coil spring extends between the tubular housing and an upper spring seat and a bearing assembly is disposed between and rotatably connects the upper spring seat with the strut mount. Generally, the separate bearing assembly and the spring seat are assembled onto the strut mount with no retention means or with a light press-fit of the bearing assembly inside of the strut mount. In certain applications, the centerline of the load applied by the spring upper end (i.e., onto the spring seat) is angled with respect to the centerline of the shock absorber, which either causes transverse loading on the bearing or necessitates orienting certain components to align the bearing with the spring, which typically increases the amount of space required between the vehicle frame and the steering knuckle.